DUNKIRK
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he Nazis were using a new style of rapid fighting called ‘Blitzkrieg’ (lightning war). Bombers attacked from the air, while tanks and troops smashed their way through ground defences. In just six weeks they invaded Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. France was next. With the Nazi army moving across France, the Allies were pushed north where thousands of soldiers were stranded on the coast at Dunkirk. If they weren’t rescued, the Allies would have to surrender. A daring evacuation mission began. Hundreds of vessels crossed the Channel to ferry the soldiers to safety, while RAF planes battled Nazi Stukas in the skies overhead. As well as Navy destroyers and minesweepers, there were many ‘little ships’ involved in the rescue from fishing boats and sailing yachts to lifeboats and barges, all crewed by brave volunteers.
DUNKIRK IN NUMBERS Code name: Operation Dynamo Also known as: The Miracle of Dunkirk Soldiers rescued: 338,000 Time taken: 9 days from 27 May to 4 June 1940 Rescue vessels: more than 900 Most soldiers rescued in a day: 68,014 on 31 May Ships lost: 236 Smallest boat: Tamzine, a 4.4-metre fishing boat
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Officers of the Royal Ulster Rifles awaiting evacuation at Bray Dunes near Dunkirk, May 1940